Somerville's Kirby Avenue redevelopment plan nears completion

The last meeting of the group drafting the plan for the redevelopment of the Kirby Avenue will be held in the council chamber at police headquarters on South Bridge Street. The public is invited.

SOMERVILLE — The last meeting of the group drafting the plan for the redevelopment of the Kirby Avenue area will take place next Thursday at 7 p.m. in the council chamber at police headquarters on South Bridge Street. The public is invited.

After that, the plan will go to the borough Planning Board for its approval. Later, it is hoped that developers will propose projects that fit in with the plan.

This is the second plan for the Kirby Avenue area, the contiguous plot of land bounded by Loeser, Adamsville, Fairview and Kirby avenues and containing the former Baker & Taylor warehouse.

In the first plan created in 2007 by borough residents and professionals, the borough hoped for a single developer for the whole site, but a request for proposals, made at the low point of the economic downturn, received no response.

The mayor reconvened the group in January to rework the plan with the idea of getting multiple developers.

Since then, Borough Planner Michael Cole and Director of Economic Development Colin Driver have been fine-tuning the concept for the area. They now have a final set of illustrations of possible configurations of houses and open space land for the area. In each illustration, the existing road grid extends into the redevelopment area, and houses would be built to resemble those already in the borough.

“What is not wanted in the area is over-building of high-density multi-story residential units. It is believed that these types of development will not only put a strain on the existing road network but ultimately cost the community money through the needs for infrastructure additions and improvements, plus increased public services,” the draft plan says.

The plan also does not call for any retail to be built, but leaves open the option for a small commercial development along Loeser Avenue.